Getting Divorced is Hard to Do
by xmnmxox
Summary: AU/AH: Damon and Elena got married just out of high school. He left her, but now he's back 7 years later to get a divorce, so he can marry his new fiance Katherine. Damon Salvatore might just find he doesn't get what he wants if it is what he really wants
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I promise to my Curse readers, I will have the next chapter up soon. I had this idea the other night as I was watching Sweet Home Alabama. It does at first seem to match up with the movie a lot, but it takes a direction of its own eventually. I hope you all review and let me know what you think about this new story. I really have a good bit of it plotted out already. It's just waiting to be written.  
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**Summary: Damon and Elena were high school lovers who got married right out of high school. After a terrible fight with Elena, Damon goes to his father to ask for his advice, but Giuseppe tells him that Stefan and Elena slept together. He offers Damon a chance to get out of Mystic Falls forever, and Damon takes it. He goes to New York and becomes a successful lawyer. After seven years and several rejected divorce papers, Damon goes back to Mystic Falls determined to get his divorce in order to be able to marry Katherine. **

New York

"Damon! Damon!" one photographer cried out as he snapped pictures furiously. Another one cried out for his attention while some called out Katherine's name.

A reporter from the New York Times suddenly appeared in front of them. "Damon, Katherine," he addressed and shoved a microphone up to their faces. "Is it true? Sources say the two of you have decided to tie the knot." He leaned in closer in order to hear their response.

Damon Salvatore smiled down at his new fiancé, Katherine Pierce. She was the daughter of the mayor of New York. They had indeed made things official the previous night. "Yes," he spoke into the microphone. "We are engaged." He flashed another beaming grin for all the cameras while Katherine showed off her new 4-carat diamond ring. It was more extravagant than anything Damon had ever purchased before, but as the lawyer for one of the most respected and powerful law firms in the northeastern states, Damon could definitely afford it.

"You two must be very happy! I'm sure all the ladies of New York will be weeping tomorrow morning to find out New York's most eligible bachelor is officially off the market. Congratulations," the reporter congratulated and then left them alone.

Damon's smile faltered for a second. Technically he hadn't been a bachelor since his sophomore year of high school. He rarely allowed himself to think about Elena who was technically his wife. They had dated for three years before getting married the summer after their senior year. He had left two weeks before Christmas. His father had given him a chance to get out of the town for the rest of his life, and he took it. Damon couldn't even count the number of times he had sent her signed divorce papers that were always returned to him three days later unsigned. He pushed all thoughts of Elena to the back of his head when Katherine took his hand and lead them into the hotel where the banquet they were attending was being held. He smiled and followed her after deciding he would deal with Elena the following day even if it meant going to Mystic Falls and forcing her to sign the divorce papers himself.

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><p>Mystic Falls<p>

She didn't know why she did this to herself. After all the years that had gone by, she, Elena Gilbert, was still in love with Damon Salvatore. She knew she shouldn't read the tabloids that kept Damon's life under a microscope. Now he was engaged to Katherine Pierce the daughter of the mayor of New York. It hit her harder than all the other girls she had read about in the past. It seemed this time he had really moved on even though she knew he had moved on seven years ago.

She still found herself thinking about the fight they had before he left. She didn't know why he had decided to leave her in the end. Giuseppe just told her he had finally had enough and decided marrying young was a mistake. She closed out of the window browser as her phone began to ring.

She sighed when she saw the caller id. "Hi Caroline," she greeted tiredly.

"Don't give me that Elena. I know exactly know what you've been up to. I'm sure you must have heard by now that Damon's engaged to that tramp," Caroline chided.

Elena sighed. Caroline had never liked Damon even though she was his sister-in-law. She had never forgiven him for his treatment toward Elena and Stefan. Leaving Elena and not showing up to Caroline and Stefan's wedding was the last straw for her. He would not get any second chances with her. She had no mercy when it came to him. She was fiercely protective of Elena and Stefan.

"I know Care. I'll be fine I swear," she drawled. Sometimes Caroline was a little too protective. She glanced at her watch and realized she was late for a meeting with her publisher. "I have to go Caroline. I'll see you tonight," she promised. Before Caroline had a chance to cut her off, Elena ended the call, grabbed her keys, bag, shoes, and walked out of her house. She locked the house behind her, jogged down the steps, and got into her car.

As she drove to work, she thought about her latest pitch to her publisher. Ever since her last two books, she had hit a serious block. She had drawn so much inspiration from everything that had happened the last seven years she felt like she was all tapped out. Now she needed to write at least one last book to fulfill the requirements of her book deal. Elijah, her publisher, was completely on her side to give her more time to develop her ideas, but the head of the publishing house, Klaus, was out to get her after she rejected his advances a few weeks prior. He wanted her next book to be done completely within seven months. Elijah told her he would get Klaus to ease up a little, but it would be best to work toward getting the book done quickly.

She pulled into a parking space and got out to meet Elijah. It was going to be a long meeting. A few hours later Elena walked out of the office completely drained. She and Elijah went back and forth for three hours to come up with solid ideas for her book. They were still at square one. Rubbing her temples tiredly, Elena drove home quickly hoping to get a shower before going to Stefan's for Caroline's dinner party. When she got home though all hopes of getting a shower in were lost as she pulled into her driveway and saw someone very familiar standing on her front porch.

She stepped out of the car with disbelief on her face as the man waiting outside of her house took off his Ray bans to reveal his piercing cobalt eyes.

"Hello, Elena," Damon said with a slight frown set on his face. "I believe you and I have some unfinished business," he said and waved the papers in her face.

Elena knew they were another set of divorce papers. She got them almost every year on their wedding anniversary with his signature already on them, and every year she sent them back unsigned. She wanted him to come show his face and tell her exactly why he left all those years ago. Only then would she sign those damn papers. "I can't do this right now Damon," she glared and went to unlock her house. "I'm going to be late as it already is." She got it unlocked and entered and closed the door in Damon's face. After locking it, she went upstairs to her room to get changed. After her parent's died, she still didn't move into their bedroom. It felt wrong. For weeks she couldn't even walk past it without bursting into tears. When she entered though, she saw Damon trying to get through her window. She was seriously reconsidering that decision as she saw him slip through with ease.

"I haven't done that in a long time," he smirked as he looked around. He ran his finger across her teddy bear that used to sit on her bed but was now on a shelf.

Elena swallowed the lump in her throat. She took the time to get a good look at him. His pictures didn't do him justice. Before he left, he had been a cute, charming boy, but now he was an exceedingly attractive, successful, sexy man. "I have to get ready Damon. I don't want to talk to you right now." She grabbed a dark purple dress from her closet and waited for him to leave.

He knew what she was trying to tell him. "It's nothing I haven't seen before Elena," he stated but walked out of the door. He figured she might be more cooperative if at least didn't try and see her naked before he left.

Elena rolled her eyes and locked the door after him. She yanked off her clothes and pulled on a short, dark blue halter dress. She had gotten it when she went shopping with Bonnie a few weeks back. The halter was beaded and had a sweetheart neckline. She clasped on her mother's bracelet and ran a brush through her chocolate brown locks. After transferring her things to a nude clutch, she unlocked her door, but to her surprise Damon was nowhere in sight. Hoping he decided to finally leave, she grabbed a pair of nude pumps and walked down the stairs.

"You didn't think I would give up this easily did you?" he asked teasingly. "Come on Elena, I have a flight that I need to catch tomorrow morning. I would really like to be back in New York as soon as possible."

Elena stopped in her tracks and turned to find him sitting in her living room. "Why? It's not like would be the first time you've left me," she spat back at him bitterly as she slipped on her heels. Who was he to show up in **her** town and demand she sign his stupid papers just so he could marry his whore?

Damon's eye darkened as he stood. He crossed the room in a few strides and looked her straight in the eye. "Sign the papers Elena, and I promise it'll be the last time I leave you," he said tensely and handed her a pen.

Elena glared right back at him. "Like you're one to keep your promises," she replied testily and rejected his pen. "This time Damon, allow me to walk out before you can," she gave him one last glare and then stormed out the door not caring to lock it.

She pulled up to the Salvatore mansion seething and stormed into the house looking for Caroline. "Care!" she shouted with anger radiating through her voice. "That insufferable, inconsiderate ass!" she muttered under her breath.

"Oh no, what did Elijah do now?" Caroline asked from behind her. She had just finished getting dressed for her dinner. She had chosen a dark green spaghetti strapped mini dress. She handed her a glass of champagne. She was used to Elena coming over in a terrible mood after her meetings with Elijah. They were becoming more and more frequent lately.

Elena took the glass and downed it in one gulp. She was going to need something way stronger to make it through the night. "Not Elijah," she smirked a little and then took a deep breath. "It's Damon. He's back," she informed her.

Caroline's jaw actually dropped at her news. "Stefan!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. A few seconds later they heard feet scrambling toward them coming from Stefan's office.

He too was already dressed for the dinner but had been trying to finish up some last minute work before everyone arrived. "What is it Care?" he asked worriedly as he looked back and forth between the two.

Caroline turned to face him. "Damon's back in town," she seethed with anger burning in her eyes. She was going to kill him if she saw him.

Stefan gasped and turned to Elena. "Did you see him?" he asked confused. He never thought his brother would come back to town especially now.

Elena nodded. "I came home from my meeting with Elijah, and he was at my house waiting for me," she explained. "With divorce papers," she added.

Caroline pursed her lips. "How dare he!" she screeched. "That bastard!"

Stefan wrapped an arm around Caroline's waist. "Calm down Caroline. Bonnie, Matt, Tyler, Jeremy, and everyone else are going to be here soon. You won't have to see him anytime soon. Just let it go for the rest of the night. We'll deal with it tomorrow morning," he soothed. Caroline had been planning for this party for two weeks.

Caroline took a few deep breaths to calm down. "All right, I refuse to let Damon Salvatore ruin this night for me." She gave Stefan a kiss on the cheek and went to the kitchen to check the dinner.

Stefan let out a deep breath. He had really dodged a bullet there. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. If anyone had the right to freak out about Damon's appearance, it was Elena.

Elena gave him a weak smile and nodded. On the inside she was falling apart, but she knew she had to hold it together for the night.

Stefan could see her internal struggle in her eyes. He opened his arms and drew her in a for a hug. Elena accepted his gesture gratefully and relaxed into the hug. They heard someone clear their throat behind them and saw Damon staring at them.

Damon had followed Elena to Stefan and Caroline's. He sat out in the car for ten minutes trying to calm down. After all these years, she was still running to his brother! He didn't know why he felt so angry when he walked in and saw them hugging in the foyer, but he struggled to reign it in before he started talking.

"Hello again Elena. I believe we still need to finish our conversation," he simpered. He tried to hold back his anger as they detangled themselves.

Elena glared back at him. How dare he follow her here! "I told you we would talk later. You need to leave!"

Damon ignored her and looked around the house. "I see you haven't changed much," he commented, as he looked Stefan up and down. "Dinner party?" Damon smirked and gestured to the dinning room.

"Yes," Caroline answered as she entered the room. "And you aren't invited, so I suggest you get out of my house," she hissed.

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Your house?" he asked questioningly and turned to Stefan. "You got married to Mystic Falls Barbie?" he inquired surprised. He had thought Elena and Stefan were involved based on when he saw them together when he walked into the house. This was an interesting turn of events. Damon wondered if Blondie suspected anything between Stefan and Elena like he did.

Caroline let out an aggravated sigh as Stefan wrapped his arm around her protectively. "Yes Damon," he rolled his eyes. "We got married about 4 years ago; you would have known this if you had bothered to attend our wedding."

Damon ignored his jab and turned his gaze to Elena. "If you don't want to have this conversation now, then I'll wait," and with that he went and sat down in the parlor.

Caroline let out a worried shriek and followed him into the parlor. "No! No! You are not staying here for my dinner!" she cried and pointed to the door. "Leave!"

Damon brushed her off and looked at Stefan who had followed them as well as Elena. "How about I stay and catch up?" he suggested.

Stefan looked back and forth between his wife and his best friend and his brother. He was torn who to pick. Finally he spoke. "Why can't Damon stay for dinner? Mrs. Lockwood cancelled," he pleaded.

Caroline let out an indignant gasp but consented. "He leaves right after dessert!" she muttered and then stormed back to the kitchen leaving Stefan running after her and Elena standing there all alone with Damon.

Damon chuckled at Caroline's antics. She still hadn't changed after all these years. That's part of the reason why Damon was glad he had left. Mystic Falls stayed the same while New York was constantly changing. Elena snapped her head to face him, and her eyes narrowed. He always got what he wanted.

"What are you laughing at?" she hissed and crossed her arms.

Damon smiled up at her. "Seven years and nothing's changed," he murmured. He studied her carefully as her eyes darkened.

"Everything's different now Damon. You don't even know!" she seethed as the doorbell rang. She gave him one last parting glared before going to answer the door.

Damon sat in the silence. It was funny how his presence could clear a room so easily. What exactly had changed over the past few years? He did feel a small pang of guilt for not attending his brother's wedding. The guy didn't have that many friends to begin with. That guilt was erased though when Damon remembered exactly why he had left all those years ago and his brother's part in his departure. He did notice that Elena still looked just as beautiful as she always did. Her hair was slightly shorter now, but it still fell past her shoulders. Her longs legs looked endless in her short dress that made her skin gleam. Her eyes though seemed to have lost the warmth and sparkle they used to radiate. He had loved looking into her eyes. He could read all her emotions through them. Now they were dull and lifeless. She lacked the energy he once loved about her. Maybe some things had changed.

Elena then came in with Bonnie Bennett and Jeremy Gilbert in tow and pulled him out of his thoughts. "Bonnie, Jer, I believe you remember my ass of a husband," she sneered.

Bonnie let out a surprised gasp while Jeremy glared with an intense amount of hatred on his face.

Damon laughed at Elena's introduction. "Hopefully soon to be ass of an ex-husband," he reminded her. "Hey Jeremy, long time no see," he said keeping his tone light.

"Yeah, I wonder why that is," he said sarcastically. "When was the last time you I saw you?" Jeremy asked rhetorically. "Oh I remember! It was when you walked out on my sister!" he yelled. "You know she was..." he began but Elena cut him off.

"Enough Jeremy! Just leave it for right now. He'll be gone soon anyway." She didn't want Damon knowing about that. He didn't deserve to know.

Jeremy huffed but backed off. Bonnie took his hand and rubbed soothing circles on his back. She knew how hard Jeremy had taken Damon's departure. Damon had always been like a brother to him, and he had been thrilled when Damon officially became part of the family. He had taken it almost as hard as Elena when Damon left Mystic Falls.

Caroline walked into the room with Tyler, Matt, and their respective girlfriends. "Dinner is ready," she announced, and they followed her into the large dinning hall. Stefan had built the dinning room to be two times larger than a usual one in order to accommodate Caroline's request. She wanted a room large enough to host giant dinner parties, and Stefan delivered.

They took their seats with Caroline and Stefan at the opposing heads of the table. Damon sat down across from Elena and next to Stefan. Caroline rang a small bell, and the salads were served. After the salad course, a rich tomato bisque was served and that was when things really began to heat up.

They had kept the conversation light. Matt and Tyler's dates mostly kept asking Damon about his life in New York, which was mostly insubstantial until Tyler's date asked Damon what Katherine was like.

Damon was caught off guard by her question. No one had ever asked him to describe Katherine before now. Everyone he knew had already known her long before he had met her. "She's amazing really. She's beautiful, free spirited, and wild. She can be selfish but thoughtful at the same time," he described. "Katherine's the most interesting person I've ever met. She can be hot and cold in seconds."

"Really? She always seemed like a stuck up, gold digging bitch to me. Now you make her sound bipolar," Caroline scoffed as she ate a spoonful of soup.

Damon's head snapped in her direction. "Right, because you didn't know the details of Stefan's checking account before you said 'I do'," he shot back. Caroline narrowed her eyes at him and continued to silently eat her soup. Damon nodded in victory and turned to Elena. "Well, enough about me. What's new with you Elena?" he asked with a mocking tone.

Elena set down her spoon. She hadn't eaten much the entire meal. "Nothing you'd be interested in Damon. I'm sure what I do is nothing compared to Katherine. I mean I don't get manicures every week and go spending my daddy's money every day, but I find a way to fill my days." He didn't deserve to know about the success she's gotten from her books. She didn't want him reading them anyway.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "Says the person living in her parent's house. I never expected you to be the old spinster who burdened her parents for the rest of their lived. Gosh Elena, don't you think you're parents would like to have the house to themselves again?" he sneered. "I seriously doubt they want you living with them still. I mean it's kind of pathetic," he said rubbing salt in the wound.

Elena eyes filled up with tears at the mention of her parents. They had died in that horrible car crash all those years ago about seven months after Damon had left. She stood up and threw her napkin down on top of her soup. "Excuse me Caroline. I'm not feeling well. I'll see you tomorrow," she said before running off as the tears began to trickle down.

Damon watched her go and then turned back to the rest of the table. "Was it something I said?" he asked innocently. The Elena he knew was never one to back down so easily.

Jeremy leapt out of his seat and glared at him. "How dare you!" he shouted shaking with anger.

Damon stood up and rose to his height. "What?"

"If you had been here or had at least bothered to check in every once in a while, you would know our parents died!" he hissed pacing back and forth like a caged lion.

Damon didn't say anything. Miranda and Grayson were the closest things to parents he had. His own father had barely expressed interest in him until the middle of his junior year of high school. By then he didn't really feel that close to him and kept his distance. He looked down not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry Jer. I didn't know. I'm so sorry for your loss." He knew exactly what it felt like to lose a parent. He hadn't known his mother for that long before she died when he was six, but he still missed her every day.

Jeremy glowered at Damon. His ignorance didn't excuse him; he had hurt his sister one too many times. He wasn't going to let Damon hurt her anymore.

Stefan finally stood up and turned to Damon. "I think it's time you leave Damon," he said firmly.

Damon nodded and ran out to his car. He needed to find Elena, but when he drove to her house all the lights were off. He jogged up the front porch stairs and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He slammed his fist on the door in frustration and looked down. He noticed there was a packet in front of the door. He leaned down and picked it up. It was the divorce papers he had left there from earlier. Damon opened up the envelope and pulled out the papers and found Elena's signature on the dotted line. He had gotten what he came for in order to marry Katherine, so why did he feel unhappy still?

**AN: I promise that Katherine will not get a happy ending in this. She's every bit of the shallow, selfish bitch I think she is in the show. I hope you all don't mind the Caroline and Stefan pairing. I was going to have her together with Tyler, but I started typing without thinking and Stefan and Caroline came out before I could stop it. I have the next few chapters planned out including a little bit of a time jump. Let me know what you think, so I can continue. :)  
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	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I just saw the preview for next week's episode and just about cried. I hate that the writes are putting Damon through this. I can't believe they are being so cruel. I bet that they are going to find a cure for Damon in the first episode of the third season, and season two ends with Elena crying as Damon is in her arms dying. Hopefull though the writers will be nicer and have Damon pull through a bit sooner then next season. I mean they can't have the show without Damon. I'm pretty sure too many people would stop watching the show if that happened. Enough of my rant. It's just the person I normally talk to about the show has been sick and out of school for the past week, so I haven't gotten to talk to her. Anyway, on with my story. Review. **

Elena watched Damon pull away from her driveway. She had seen him get into the car holding the divorce papers. Good, she thought. He should leave now. She had signed away all affiliation with him the second she signed those papers. She moved away from the window and flipped on the table lamp next to her bed and sat down.

When her parents died, she had inherited the house. Jeremy eventually moved out and bought a house with Bonnie while she decided to continue living in the house. It didn't feel right to see it. Their Aunt Jenna had come back to town after finishing up her degree at Duke. She and her new husband Alaric had an apartment of their own closer to the center of town and the school since Alaric was a teacher.

Elena changed out of her dress and hopped into the shower. She allowed the hot water to soothe the tension in her back muscles. She got out fifteen minutes later and wrapped a fluffy towel around herself. She slipped into a blue cotton nightgown and crawled into bed with her laptop. She opened a new word document and began furiously typing away into the night.

She didn't realize how long she had been working until she looked at the little numbers in to corner of her computer that read 2:38. She saved her work and put her computer on her nightstand. Elena pulled the covers over her and fell into a deep sleep forgetting all about her issues with Damon and her book.

The next morning Elena woke up later than usual. She got out of her bed and got dressed for the day. Once dressed in a black pencil skirt and a dark blue ruffled silk top with black stilettos, Elena headed down the stairs to check her messages on her cell phone. Caroline had called three times; Jeremy called twice, and surprisingly Damon called once as well. After listening to Caroline and Jeremy's messages, she promptly deleted Damon's without listening to it. She grabbed her keys and purse and headed out of the house. When she turned around though, she saw Damon leaning on his car waiting for her.

"Hey Elena," he greeted. "We need to talk."

"Why? I signed the papers," she said as she crossed her arms. "Aren't you supposed to be on a plane to New York forgetting about this mistake of a marriage?"

Damon looked up at her. "Just get in Elena. You know we need to talk." He opened the door on the passenger's side for her.

Elena looked at him warily. She knew they needed to talk to at least get closure before he left, so she got into the car. He drove them in silence until they arrived to their location. He parked the car, and they got out. Elena looked around and recognized where they were. He had taken them to the falls where they had gotten married. It was also not too far from Wickery Bridge where Elena's parents had died.

"Why did you bring us here Damon?' Elena asked looking at him as they walked around the grassy meadow.

He shrugged. "I haven't been here since the wedding. It hasn't changed much," he noted.

Elena pursed her lips. "You wanted to talk. Talk!" she demanded.

Damon let out a sigh. "I know we left things kind of hard for us, but I wasn't sure if I could ever forgive you for what you did. I think I can now, or at least I think I can. I don't want things to be so terrible between us Elena. We made a lot of mistakes. I'm just trying to right some of them."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "What? What did I do?" she asked confused.

Damon looked at her with a frown on his face. Was she really going to deny it after all these years? "Elena, I know what happened all those years ago. You don't have to keep lying to me."

Elena scrunched up her face. "What are you talking about?" she asked again.

Damon let out an exasperated sigh. "I saw him leave Elena. I know you slept with Stefan after our fight!" he roared as his temper flared. "Stop lying to me!"

Elena gasped and slapped him across the face. "How dare you accuse me of sleep with him? I loved you Damon. I would never sleep with him before or after you left," she said defensively. "Why would you think I would do something like that?" she demanded.

Damon gaped at her. He had never questioned his father all those years ago when he told him Elena had been sleeping with Stefan. He had been so blinded by his anger he never gave it a second thought especially when he saw Stefan leaving the room he shared with Elena wearing the same clothes he had seen him wearing the day prior. "My father told me…" he trailed off. Damon had been so furious he leapt at Giuseppe's offer to go to school in the city. One of his old business partners was interested in Damon's potential. Now he realized that his father had probably made him be interested in his potential.

Elena rolled her eyes. Of course it had been Giuseppe. Before they had gotten married, Giuseppe told her not to marry Damon. He had even offered her money to not marry him, but she told him she loved Damon and no amount of money would change that. He had finally found a way to get Damon to leave Elena instead. He had just been waiting for the perfect moment to strike. "He lied Damon. Stefan was leaving my room that morning because he had heard me crying all night and came in early that morning to check on me. He didn't stay for more than a couple of hours." When he didn't respond Elena continued. "Do you really think that I would do that to you? I loved you so much Damon. I never wanted anyone but you. I loved you so much sometimes it scared me."

"Why didn't you come after me then?" Damon asked.

Elena scoffed. "Come after you? You left me Damon. I was so devastated I didn't even want to live anymore. I kept asking myself what I had done wrong and replayed that stupid fight over and over in my head. I blamed myself for driving you away. I thought I had been a terrible wife who didn't love you enough or wasn't good enough for you. It was until a few years later when I realized it didn't matter because you weren't coming back. Now it's too late for us. You were right when you said we had made a lot of mistakes. Yours was not trusting me enough, and mine was loving you too much," Elena said as a tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it away promising herself that she would no longer shed any more tears because of Damon. Elena gave him a soft smile and raised herself up on her toes to bring herself to Damon's level. She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "It's time for you to go Damon. New York's waiting for you," she whispered as they found themselves back at Damon's car. She reached into her purse and handed him her engagement and wedding rings.

Damon was speechless. He closed his hands over the rings in his hands. He had no idea his father had lied to him. He couldn't believe he had just left before at least even talking to Elena. Damon got into the car, and he pulled away from the falls wordlessly. He watched Elena get smaller in his rearview mirror until he could no longer see her.

Elena watched Damon drive away. She knew she could call Caroline or Bonnie to come get her, but she didn't feel like getting back to reality just yet. Instead she took a seat on the grassy bank not caring that she was probably ruining her skirt. She just sat watching the water crash over the rocks not thinking about anything in particular. Finally she gave in after an hour or so, and she called Caroline to come get her.

Fifteen minutes later Caroline drove up, got out of her car, and pulled Elena into a hug. "Are you okay?" she asked. She pulled away to examine her carefully. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened when Damon left the first time.

Elena gave her a nod. She would be stronger this time. She had finally gotten the closure she needed. "Let's go home," she smiled. Things would finally go back to normal.

Damon looked out the window as the plane lifted off and flew over Mystic Falls. He would be back in New York in no time. As he took a sip of his scotch, he pulled out Elena's rings from his pocket. He looked at them carefully. Inside the wedding band, _forever and always_ was inscribed. He never thought that things would come to this. He moved on to the engagement ring. It was his mother's ring; a gorgeous three stone, two-carat diamond set in platinum. It was less flashy than Katherine's four-carat ring, but it suited Elena. It had fit her perfectly the moment Damon slid it on to her finger. He remembered thinking about how it would never be removed. He slipped the rings back into his pocket and closed his eyes. After being away for a few days, his work was really piling up, so he might as well get some sleep in before he got to back to reality. Damon knew he should feel better now that he was free to marry Katherine, but why did he feel like he was just adding to his list of mistakes?

Later that night, Damon shrugged out of his suit jacket and slung it on the couch. Katherine was already home he observed when he saw her bag on the coffee table.

"Kat?" he called out. "Baby, where are you?" he tried again when he didn't get a response. Then he heard the clicking of heels on the hardwood floors.

"Damon!" Katherine squealed and launched herself into Damon's waiting arms. "I missed you," she said happily before crashing her mouth onto his. She fought him for dominance as Damon set her down. She let out a moan as Damon moved down her neck placing kisses along her collarbone. She weaved her fingers through his thick locks and pulled him back to her mouth. She undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt as they kissed. He picked her up by the waist and walked them to their bedroom. It was safe to say all thoughts of Elena were shoved to the back of his head. He flung her down on their bed and shrugged out of his shirt. Damon looked down at Katherine who had pulled off all her clothes leaving her in nothing but a dark red panty and bra set. She looked every bit of the seductive temptress she was. He stripped off the rest of his clothes and kicked the door shut behind him. It was going to be a long night.

A few hours later Damon gazed down at Katherine's sleeping form. He had never noticed how much she reminded him of Elena. When he first met her, he was so captivated by her charm, lovable cruelty, and most of all her brazen personality and irresistible looks. Now Damon could see the similarities between them that he had never taken in before. Granted there were clear differences. Elena had always seemed to have a smile on her face even as she slept that lit up her face. Katherine smiled a lot, but hers always seemed like she was keeping a secret rather than because she was happy. He leaned back into the plush bed and pulled the covers over them. When they moved into the penthouse, Damon had allowed Katherine to decorate everything, which meant she had hired some expensive Frenchman who always seemed to be hitting on him every time he was around. Damon made a point to stay away from him until the apartment was done. Damon stole another glance at Katherine who was faced away from him. He knew he loved her, but his love for her seemed different. She always seemed to keep him at arms length away. He wrapped his arms around Katherine and allowed himself to focus in on her breathing until he drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Everything would go back to normal; he hoped.

**AN: Over 100 hits on the first chapter and only one review? It makes me sad. Hopefully this one will spark a review or at least a flame. Also I've been looking for a story that a read a few months back. I don't remember the title, but it was a Delena fic. Elena asked Bonnie what she saw in her future and Bonnie told her that the man for her would have electric blue eyes like Damon. It was only one chapter when I read it, so I'm not sure if it is any longer. If this sounds familiar to anyone, please let me know. I feel like I've gone through the archive a hundred times and still haven't found it. **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry for the long wait. This chapter isn't super long, but it's important. It's not as Delena as most people would want, but it sets up a clear direction for the story. **

New York- Five months later

"Come on Kat!" Damon called out from the living room. "We're going to be late!" He checked the clock in front of him again for the fourth time in last two minutes. Finally he heard her heels on the floors signaling she was getting closer. He turned around and took in her appearance. The extra hour she took to get ready was completely worth it now. She looked stunning in the midnight blue, strapless Dior gown that hugged her every curve. Her hair was pinned up with a few loose curls that framed her face. Her make up was done expertly to emphasize her dark eyes and full lips. He had to restrain himself from picking her up and running back into the bedroom and having his way with her. She smiled at him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Knowing Katherine, she probably could.

"Are you going to stare at me all night, or are we going to leave?" she asked teasingly as she closed her clutch.

Damon snapped out of his trance and walked over to her. He held out his arm for her and led them to the elevator. Their driver, Martin, was downstairs waiting for them. He made a mental note to give him an extra bonus for the times Martin had to wait on them when Katherine took extra hours to get ready.

They slid into their town car, and Martine pulled away from their building. They were going to the Children of New York Charity benefit. A section of Damon's law firm dealt with many of the adoptions for the orphanage. He and another associate were representing the firm tonight. Martin pulled up fifteen minutes later at the Palace Hotel where the benefit was being held. Damon opened the door, got out, and held his hand out for Katherine to take as she got out of the car after him. They walked into the benefit smiling for the photographers hand in hand. They made it into the hotel without having to talk to many of the reporters there. These days they were constantly hounding them for a wedding date. Katherine's father was in favor of a nice long engagement. He wanted his princess to be sure Damon was the one before settling down. In the end, the couple decided on at least a yearlong engagement before beginning planning for the wedding. Damon was very relieved with Katherine's decision. A year would be plenty of time for his divorce to settle and be swept underneath the rug. If Damon could go all these years with no one finding out he was married, he was definitely going to make sure no one find out about the divorce.

They entered the hall and found their seats before Katherine dragged Damon out to the dance floor until he needed to beginning mingling with the other business executives at the benefit. He left Katherine with his friend Mason a couple of dances later to get them all drinks.

"One Jack and Coke, a glass of white wine, and a scotch on the rocks," he told the bartender. Damon leaned back on the bar counter while he waited for the bartender to make his drinks. He looked around the ballroom at all the immaculately dressed guest. He knew most of them, but he considered few of them his friends. Mason was the only exception. He had visited Mystic Falls every summer since he was born to visit his uncle. Katherine was really the socialite and knew almost everyone important who ever stepped into the city. The bartender tapped his shoulder to let him know the drinks were made. Damon nodded his thanks and took the drinks. He turned back to head to the dance floor when a he bumped into a man.

"I'm sorry," Damon excused himself. Thankfully he hadn't spilled the drinks on either of their drinks.

"It's fine," the man smiled and walked around Damon to get to the bar. Damon walked to his table and handed Katherine and Mason their drinks. He took a sip of his scotch hoping it would ease the tension he felt. There was something about the man that he bumped into that seemed weird to him.

"Damon, do you know who that is?" Katherine asked gesturing to a gorgeous brunette in a strapless, pale pink, couture gown that seemed to shimmer in under the ballroom lights. She envied the dress like no other. It was part of Marchesa's newest collection. She thought Damon might know the girl.

Damon took her in slowly. From the back she reminded him greatly of Elena, but Damon refused to allow himself to go there. He shook his head. "Maybe she's the daughter of an administrator of the orphanage." They couldn't get a good look of her face as she was turned around, and her long brown tresses tumbled down her back.

Mason took another look at her. "You know, I think I might just have to go introduce myself to her," he excused himself and headed over to where she was standing.

"Hello, I'm Mason Lockwood," he introduced as the mystery girl turned to face him. He recognized her immediately. What on earth was Elena Gilbert doing here? "Elena?" he asked with shock clearly displayed on his face. Katherine was beautiful, but Mason felt like punching Damon in the face for leaving such a gorgeous creature.

Elena smiled. She had always liked Tyler's cousin. He was only two years older than them, and she hadn't seen him in almost eight years. He hadn't changed that much. He still looked like the Mason she knew. "Hi Mason," she said warmly. Before she could stop herself, she hugged him. Mason was caught off guard but accepted the hug anyway. "It's so great to see you. What are you doing here?"

"I live here. I go to these benefits all the time," Mason answered. He wasn't sure if he should be associating with his best friend's ex-wife, but he stayed there anyway. "What are you doing here? I thought you lived in Mystic Falls."

Elena nodded. "I do. I'm actually here to talk to a few of the board members of the orphanage. I'm writing a children's book and was planning on giving them some of the proceeds from it once it's published."

"That's exceedingly kind of you," Mason noted. "Is it your first book?" he asked. He didn't know of any books by Elena.

She shook her head. "I've written three novels so far. The third one is in its final editing stage before it goes to be printed. This will be my first children's book. I write under a pen name, Nina Forbes," she informed him.

Mason was taken back. Her first two books were on the New York Best-Selling List. They were actually two of Katherine's favorite books.

Then she slowly began putting the pieces together. Damon and his fiancé were well known in New York. There was no way that Mason wasn't in contact with Damon. She looked him in the eye. "So where is he?" she asked knowing he would know exactly who she was talking about.

Mason hesitated. "He's at his table with Katherine. He doesn't know you're here," he explained. "He didn't recognize you just like I didn't."

Elena crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "Well why should he? What would his small town ex-wife," she spat," be doing at a big, fancy benefit like this? Right?" She scoffed. "It was nice talking to you Mason. I have to go now." Elena shook her head with disgust and stormed away.

Mason sped walked back to his table where Damon and Katherine were waiting.

"So?" Katherine asked expectantly. "Who is she?"

"She's a writer actually. She's writing a new children's book. You've read her books. Her pen name is Nina Forbes."

Katherine squealed with glee. "Nina Forbes? I love her novels! I can't wait for her next book to come out."

"She said it was going to come out next month," Mason recalled.

Katherine's eyes widened. "Why is she writing a children's book? That's kind of out of her usual genre. Her first two books were about a girl who loses her love after a terrible car accident. It was about her journey to rediscover who she was and how to live and love again without him. I fell in love with them the moment I read them," Katherine smiled dreamily. "Do you think you could introduce me to her?" she pleaded batting her eyelashes.

Damon watched as Mason struggled to form an answer. He looked almost conflicted to not give in to her, which was definitely a first. Mason always gave into Katherine.

"Sure," he finally conceded. "Come with me," he held out is arm for her. She gladly accepted it with a confused Damon trailing behind.

"What is her name Mason?" Katherine asked, as they got closer.

"Hmm?" Mason tilted his head.

"You said her pen name is Nina Forbes. What is her real name?" Katherine asked, but they had reached within earshot of Elena, so she stopped talking.

They stopped behind Elena and waited for her to finish her conversation before talking to her. Finally she turned around and found the three of them staring at her.

"Mason," she gasped a little surprised. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Who's this?" Elena feigned ignorance. She recognized Katherine. Damon was right. She was unbelievably gorgeous. Suddenly, even in her two thousand dollar Elena felt undressed and much like a girl playing dress up next to Katherine.

"Elena Gilbert," he said in a slightly shaky voice. "This is Katherine Pierce and her fiancé Damon Salvatore."

Elena forced a smile across her face. "Katherine, it's nice to meet you."

Katherine nodded enthusiastically. "It's so nice to meet you. I love your books."

Elena couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. Katherine had no idea the main character of her book was based off herself. Something told her that Katherine wouldn't be so thrilled with her once she found out who she really was. "Thank you. It's always nice to meet a fan. I don't really get many of those since people don't know my real name."

Katherine smiled. "This is my fiancé Damon. His law firm works with the Children of New York orphanage."

Damon stared at Elena. He wasn't sure what she was going to say or what to say himself, so he just attempted a smile trying to make sure it didn't form a grimace.

"Elena, here you are," a man walked up to them and kissed her on the cheek after handing her a glass of champagne. "Oh you again," he smiled when he saw Damon. Damon recognized him as the man that he bumped into earlier at the bar. "I'm Elijah Smith," he said and held out his hand to shake Damon's hand.

Damon took it hesitantly. "Damon Salvatore. How do you know Elena?"

Elena narrowed her eyes at him. "He's my book editor," she answered as Elijah slipped his arm around her waist.

This time Damon's eyes narrowed. "Just your editor?" he asked bitterly.

"We've been dating for three months," Elijah chuckled. He squeezed Elena closer to him softly.

Katherine looked at Damon questioningly. Why was he so interested in Elena's relationship? He barely knew her. "So, Elena where are you from?"

"A little town in Virginia called Mystic Falls," she answered impassively. She knew that if Katherine knew anything about Damon, she could put the pieces together.

Katherine scrunched her eyebrows and turned to Damon. "Mystic Falls, isn't that were you're from honey?" Damon hesitantly nodded. "Do you know each other? You're always going on about how small Mystic Falls is. You must have." She turned to Elena. "Did you know each other?"

Elena slowly nodded. She wasn't going to lie to protect Damon. "We did actually. It was a long time ago though when we were both very different people," Elena answered solemnly. Elijah caught the look on Elena's face and decided to intervene. He knew all about Damon and Elena's past, so he wasn't the biggest fan of Damon's.

"We should get going. Dinner's going to be served soon," he told them and led Elena away.

"Bye Katherine. It was nice meeting you," Elena said softly and followed Elijah to their table. Damon watched her go with another man. It was more painful than he thought.

The night continued much like every other event, but Damon couldn't stop his thoughts from wandering to Elena. He wanted to know if she was going to tell Katherine the truth. She had every reason to tell her, but Elena had never been a vindictive person. He tapped his foot anxiously hoping that the night would come to an end soon or at least hoped the speaker would finally stop talking.

Finally the night began to wrap up around midnight, and Katherine suggested they leave. She had to get up early the next morning since she was going to a spa out of the city for the weekend with a couple of friends. Damon took her hand gratefully and led them out of the hotel and into the car where Andrew, their other driver, was waiting for them. The ride back was silent as Katherine fell asleep as soon as they got into the car. Damon scooped her up with his arms and carried her into their building. He stepped off the elevator with her still in his arms and carried her to their bedroom. Damon stripped her from her dress, and for the first time since he met her, looking at her almost naked body did nothing to him. He felt nothing as he covered her body with the nearest blanket. Instead of joining her, Damon shrugged out of his suit jacket, removed his tie, and fished his phone from his pocket. He scrolled down to Stefan's number and pressed enter. He prayed that Stefan still had the same number. After a few rings he picked up.

"Stefan Salvatore," he greeted with sleep in his voice. Damon looked at the clock. He probably could have waited to call at a more reasonable time, but he wasn't known to be a patient man.

"Stefan, I need to a favor," he pleaded.

Suddenly Stefan felt awake. "Damon?" he asked. He didn't even know how Damon had his number. "What is it?" he asked panicked. "Are you dying?"

Damon rolled his eyes. Of course, Stefan would assume the world would have to be ending for him to call. "No, don't be ridiculous. I need Elena's phone number."

Stefan allowed his breathing to return back to normal. "Why?" he asked with suspicion in his voice.

"I need to talk to her," Damon answered not including the implied duh at the end of his statement.

"Leave her alone Damon. She's happy now. Her new book is coming out soon, and she's got a boyfriend finally," he warned.

Damon narrowed his eyes at Stefan's mention of Elijah. "I know; he's her book editor," he mentioned.

"How do you know that? Did you meet him or something?" Stefan asked confused.

"Yeah, tonight actually. She met Katherine. I need her cell phone number though Stefan. I have to talk to her."

Stefan sighed heavily. "I don't know Damon. It took her a really long time to bounce back the first time you left. When you showed up, Elena threw herself into her work and wrote her book three months ahead of schedule. Don't ruin her life again," Stefan said with a bit of steel in his voice. Elena was his best friend. She didn't deserve the pain Damon was always putting her through.

Damon sighed. He knew he did the wrong thing that day by leaving Elena before they had talked about everything. "I won't do anything to hurt her Stefan. I'm just going to talk to her."

"I know. It's what you're going to say to her that worries me," Stefan countered.

Damon rolled his eyes at him. "Goodbye Stefan. I'll talk to you later," he said dismissively and hung up on his brother. He was just going to have to get her number another way he thought. Then his phone buzzed letting him know that he had a text message.

**Stefan: 434-567-3311 don't make me regret it.**

Damon smirked. Even through text message, Stefan was still trying to make him guilty. He punched in the numbers and hit send. Finally after about four rings a tired voice answered.

"Hello?" Elena answered tiredly.

**AN: A small cliffie, I know. Review and let me know what you think. **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Here's the next chapter. I worked harder to make it longer. I'm sorry if it seems a little choppy. I wrote this during finalsweek so I felt a little scattered, but I think the gist is here. Enjoy and review! I'm pretty sure there's stuff in here that you're going to have something to say.**

_Damon smirked. Even through text message, Stefan was still trying to make him guilty. He punched in the numbers and hit send. Finally after about four rings a tired voice answered._

_"Hello?" Elena answered tiredly._

Damon took a deep breath. "Elena, hi it's Damon," he said bravely. He waited for a second and heard her breath hitch.

"Damon? Is something wrong? Is Stefan okay?" she asked worriedly with the sleep completely out of her voice.

Damon rolled his eyes. Of course the world would have to be ending in order for him to be calling her. Although given their history, she did have a point to question his call, but why did she have to sound so worried about Stefan? "No, he's fine. I just spoke to him actually. He gave me your number," he figured mentioning Stefan had given him permission to call her would prevent her from hanging up on him.

Elena scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and sat up in bed. "Why would he do that?" she asked as she got out of bed and flicked on the table lamp. Stefan was never the biggest supporter of Damon after he had left even though he was family. He claimed technically she was family too, and he liked her more than Damon. That was one of the things Caroline loved about him.

"I asked him to," he answered quietly. He poured himself a drink and settled into his usual chair. "We need to talk."

Elena rolled her eyes and yawned. "And you thought the best time to talk would be," she broke off to look at the clock, "at 1:00 in the morning?" she asked sarcastically.

"Well I didn't think that you would already be asleep," he muttered. Then a horrifying thought hit him. What if he had awoken Elijah too? That would mean the he and Elena would be sharing a hotel room, which technically he shouldn't care because he had a beautiful fiancé waiting for him in the next room, but he didn't like the idea of another man in bed with Elena. "My call isn't disturbing anyone else is it?" he tried asking subtly.

Elena picked up on the double meaning in his question. "Other than me? No," she answered with a sigh. Elijah had insisted they get separate rooms to ensure they would both get rest this weekend. Why did Damon care anyway? It's not like he wasn't sleeping with someone else. "What do you want Damon?" she asked hoping that it would get him back to the reason why he called.

Damon sighed. "Like I said we need to talk. Katherine is going away for the weekend tomorrow morning. Can we talk over a cup of coffee at my place?"

Elena pondered her options in silence. "Why should I Damon? We have no ties anymore. You've made that explicitly clear," she said bitterly. Why was he insisting on seeing her?

"Look Elena, I know that I shouldn't have just left you that day. We still had a lot to talk about. This is me giving us another opportunity to talk about what happened. Just give come over and talk," he pleaded with her.

"I don't know Damon," she said hesitantly.

"Please Elena," he begged again.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Okay, what time?"

Damon face broke out into a genuine smile. "How about around 9:00?" Katherine was leaving at 7:30. It would give him plenty of time to cook breakfast for her too. "I'll text you my address in the morning."

"All right, I'll see you then," Elena said and then hung up before Damon could add anything else. She placed her phone on the nightstand after setting an alarm, pulled the blankets back over herself, and flicked off the light. Soon enough she was back asleep with all thoughts of Damon pushed out of her thoughts.

Damon clutched the phone in one hand and a glass of bourbon in the other. Elena would be there in less than 8 hours. He set the glass down on the coffee table and placed his phone next to it. HE got up from the couch and got into bed after undressing. Once he was in bed though, he didn't pull Katherine into his arms like he usually did even though she had the tendency to wiggle out of them by the morning. Katherine wasn't the snuggle type. Instead, Damon stayed on his own side and fell asleep quickly.

The next morning Damon tapped his foot impatiently as Katherine leisurely gathered her things. Finally, after she had packed three full bags Katherine did one last sweep of the room to ensure she had not forgotten anything. Once satisfied, Katherine had a their driver take her things down to the car.

"Try not to miss me too much," she said teasingly and pressed a hot kiss on his mouth. "Bye," she giggled and stepped into the elevator giving Damon one last smirk before the doors closed.

Damon let out a breath and checked the time. Of course Katherine would leave late. He had less than an hour to shower, dress, and cook Elena breakfast. He hopped into the shower hoping that the time in the hot water would allow him to organize his thoughts. There was so much they needed to discuss. He got out of the shower and pulled on a pair of designer dark wash jeans and a dark gray button-down shirt. He ran his fingers through his wet locks in an attempt to tame them. Elena would be there in less than 20 minutes if she showed up on time. He closed the door to his bedroom as he left and went to the kitchen. He insisted on keeping a fully stocked kitchen despite Katherine's clear disgust claiming that they could go out instead of him cooking. Cooking to her was very low class. Cooking always calmed Damon though; he was also rather good at it. Beck when he had been married to Elena they took turns cooking dinner for each other. He preferred to cook more complicated dishes while Elena stuck with comfort foods and their favorites. Pulling out eggs, bacon, and various vegetables, Damon began cracking the eggs over a skillet to make omelets. They were always Elena's favorite way to eat eggs. He made them every first Sunday when they had breakfast with her family and Stefan. He had just pulled off the first couple strips of bacon when the elevator doors opened, and Elena stepped out.

Elena got out of the elevator and entered Damon and Katherine's large penthouse. She looked around noticing the lack of hominess the apartment had. It didn't feel like anyone lived there at all. There were two pictures on the table by the elevator. One was of Katherine and Damon dressed up at some sort of gala, and the other was of them and Katherine's father. "Damon," she called out as she stepped further into the lion's den. She rounded the corner and saw Damon in the kitchen cooking with his back turned to her. "Damon, she called out again this time louder.

He turned and greeted her with a large smile. Something about seeing Elena again only this time without Elijah made Damon extremely happy. "Hey, I'm glad you came." Damon walked toward her. "Go ahead and take a seat. I'm just finishing your omelet," he told her.

Elena sat down hesitantly at the table. Watching him cook again brought back the memories of their Sundays with her family and Stefan. She hadn't had one of his omelets in over seven years. "You said we needed to talk Damon. Talk," she demanded. She didn't want to stay there any longer than necessary.

He dished out to her food and placed it in front of her. "Here. Eat," He opened a drawer and handed her a fork. Elena took it and looked at her plate. He made her a spinach, mushroom, and cheese omelet, and a few strips of bacon were placed on the side. Damon placed a cup of coffee next to her plate. "Two sugars and a splash of cream, just like you like it."

Elena's lips twitched. It was annoying her how he just kept acting like he knew her. Finally he got something wrong. "Actually I prefer it with cinnamon and vanilla cream instead. Most of the time I just drink orange juice if I eat breakfast."

"Why don't you drink coffee anymore?" Damon asked curiously as he began eating his own food.

Elena bit her lip. He really didn't want to know the answer. "Elijah doesn't keep coffee at his house," she finally admitted.

Damon's fork stopped mid-air. Her statement implied that she was with Elijah in the morning after staying there at night. He swallowed the painful lump that had formed in his throat and continued slowly eating. "Are you living with him?" he asked casually after a moment of awkward silence. He didn't expect Elena's reaction though.

Elena slammed down her fork. "No Damon! We are not doing this. You don't get to know everything about me. If you have something to say to me, then say it. Otherwise I'm out of here. I have no reason to stay here," she said angrily and stood up placing her hands on her hips.

Damon stood slowly and faced her. "I know we need to talk. I don't think that we finished talking that day at the falls."

She laughed and crossed her arms. "I think I've said everything I need to. You're the one that needs to decide what you're doing. I'm trying to move on, and all I see is you trying to pull me back despite the fact you have a fiancé that you divorced me for. You can't just sign the papers and change your mind the next time you see me with a guy. It's none of your business!" she huffed. She grabbed her bag and stormed toward the elevator. She pressed the button angrily willing it to get there faster.

Damon followed her. He knew that he had no right to question about her relationships. "Elena wait," he called out and stopped behind her. He reached out to turn her around to look at her, but before he could stop himself he was kissing her again. He slipped his hand through her hair and pulled her closer to him. He missed the way she felt against him and the feel of her soft lips. They moved against each other with love and comfort. There was no battle of dominance like there was with Katherine. It was different than kissing Katherine. With Katherine all he ever really felt was primal lust that he had mistaken for love. Elena made him feel loved and at home. Suddenly the elevator dinged, and Elena pulled away from him.

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at him. She reached up and touched her fingers to her lips. She looked up at him and slapped Damon hard across the face. She let all of her anger from the past seven years out in the slap. She couldn't believe Damon would pull something like this. "How dare you? You have a fiancé! I have a boyfriend" she spat thinking of Elijah. He was a good man and didn't deserve this. Damon stepped toward her again.

"I'm sorry," he began and reached out and touched her arm. "I've made a lot of mistakes," he started, but Elena cut hom off.

"That's all you have to say anymore. You made a lot of mistakes. What were they? Loving me? Leaving me? Loving Katherine?" she cried.

"No!" Damon said outraged. How could she doubt that he once loved her? "I've always loved you Elena. I just didn't know what I was leaving behind back then. If I could take it back I would," he pleaded with her.

Elena stared at him. "Are you telling me that you are willing to leave Katherine for me?" she asked incredulously. How could he leave women for other women so easily with no remorse? Was that supposed to make her feel better? This wasn't the man she loved. Like the heroine's lover in her novel, Damon left her and came back a changed man, and as of right then, Elena wasn't sure if she could love him ever again.

Damon stared back at her speechless. He wasn't expecting her to ask that. "I don't that know yet," he answered honestly looking down at his feet.

Elena shook her head. She didn't know if she was disappointed or relieved, but she knew she couldn't stay. "Let me go Damon," she cried as she broke out of his grip and stepped backward into the elevator. "Don't ever call me again," she told him as the doors closed. As the elevator descended, Elena allowed herself to break down. She should have known that going to Damon's would be a bad idea. It was time to finally leave Damon in the past. The doors opened to the main lobby and she stepped out of the elevator making her way out of the building and to a taxi. She pulled out her phone after she got a taxi and booked the next train ticket back to Mystic Falls.

After Elena left, Damon slid to the ground with his back against the elevator doors. He felt lost for the first time in years. He hadn't felt this way since after Giuseppe told him Elena was sleeping with Stefan, but even though it was a lie, his situation at the moment it reminded him of back then. He closed his eyes trying to figure out what he wanted. He didn't know whom he loved anymore. Seeing Elena and Katherine side by side made him realize that maybe he made the wrong choice. The kiss proved that there was something still between them. He should have always chosen Elena, and he wasn't going to make that mistake again. Damon stood up and straightened himself out. He was going to fight for her like he should have all those years ago.

Damon strode back into the kitchen to clean up the mess. As he dumped out the coffee he thought about Elena's comment about drinking orange juice at Elijah's. He didn't even notice his grip on the cup getting stronger until the ceramic cup crumbled in his hands. "Dammit," he muttered and threw out the fragments. As he walked back into the kitchen, he pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Katherine's number in his contacts. Pressing send, he lifted it up to his ear and waited for Katherine to pick up. He couldn't wait until she came back on Monday to talk to her.

"Hello?" a man's voice answered.

Damon pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure he called the right number. "Is Katherine there?"

"She's in the shower. Can I take a message?" the man answered.

Damon was growing more infuriated. Was she cheating on him? "Who is this?" he demanded.

"Logan Fell Channel Four Action News," the man responded in a deeper voice that Damon recognized. Katherine was screwing the news reporter over him?

"Never mind. Tell her to call me back when she's done screwing you," Damon spat and hung up the phone. He couldn't believe that he thought he loved Katherine. She wasn't the person he thought she was. This was a sign. It was like fate telling him that Katherine was a mistake. He didn't stay with Elena because he thought she cheated on him, so he certainly couldn't stay with Katherine. He walked to the living room and poured himself a drink even though it was before noon. As he was pouring another glass of bourbon, his phone rang with the screen flashing Katherine. Glaring Damon answered it.

"Stupid, once in love moron speaking, how may I help you?" Damon greeted cheerfully.

Katherine sighed on the other side. "Damon, I'm sorry about earlier. Logan told me you called."

Damon began pacing in the living room. "Oh, yes. Lover boy, did you enjoy your mid-morning romp? Nothing says I'm screwing my fiancé over like screwing the news reporter. Tell me was it worth it?" he asked bitterly.

"What? You aren't seriously leaving me over this are you?" she screeched incredulously. She also began pacing in her room brushing past Logan who was confused by her angry gestures and tone. "This was nothing Damon! Don't do this," she pleaded. She couldn't let him go this easily. "Just take a deep breath. When I get home, we can talk about this," Katherine tried reasoning. "You aren't thinking about this clearly. Don't go making any rash decisions.

Damon laughed darkly. She was cheating on him but still expected him to want to be with her? She hadn't even apologized or even claimed she was making a mistake. "Don't bother. The lease is in my name. I'll have someone pack up your things and send them to your daddy's home. As of right now, this relationship is over completely. Good bye Katherine," he said and hung up before he could hear Katherine's protests. He knew she would be back in New York soon enough, so the next call he made was to the locksmith and a moving company. They would be there in the next hour to get the job done. Until they arrived, Damon made himself useful by going through Katherine's things and taking the liberty of chucking all the things he ever bought for her. He threw all the clothes, jewelry, purses, books, and even a few stuffed animals into a box to take to the homeless shelter. Nothing would upset Katherine more than to find out her latest Prada purse was at the homeless shelter Damon thought bitterly as he threw another useless object into a box. He never realized what a materialistic bitch Katherine was, and how much money he spent on buying crap to make her happy. He felt like his relationship had been a useless waste of time. It didn't help that a voice in the back of his head was kept whispering if he had never left Elena he could be happily married with a family and not alone completely miserable. Damon pushed those thoughts aside and continued throwing away Katherine's things. It may not have be the most mature way to deal with their break-up, but it was cathartic to say the least.

Elena paid and thanked the cab driver and got out when she arrived at the hotel. Her ticket was booked; Caroline and Stefan knew she would be back later that night. The only thing left to do was pack and tell Elijah she would be leaving earlier than expected. They still had a few more days in the city before she was going to start her book tour. She took the elevator up to her room. She let herself into her room and found Elijah sitting on the bed playing with something in his hands waiting for her. She wasn't expecting him to be waiting for her although she didn't blame him. She took a deep breath and started toward him.

"How'd you get in?" she asked placing her room key on a table.

Elijah stopped fiddling with the object in his hands. "I tried knocking first, and then I convinced the receptionist that I had forgotten my key, and I wanted to get in to surprise my wife before she got back," he laughed coldly. He stood up and shoved the box into his pocket. "Imagine my surprise when I got in here, and you weren't here." He looked down briefly and looked back up at her. "Where were you?" he asked with curiosity peaking in his voice.

She couldn't lie to him, not anymore. "Damon called me last night after the benefit. He wanted me to have breakfast with him while we talked about some things. I was with him just now," Elena answered.

"You know when you said yes when I asked me out I thought that you were finally ready to move on from Damon. I guess I always knew that something like this would end up happening though," he said sulkily. Elijah looked at Elena. He had fallen in love with her the moment she came to him with her manuscript. Working with her on her books over the past couple of years seemed like a blessing. He had never met such a caring, compassionate person. Everything about her came through in her writing including her love for Damon. He had been fooling himself that she was really over him. "Goodbye Elena. I hope you and Damon are happy together," he said sorrowfully and began making his way to the door.

Elena turned confused. "Damon and I aren't together," she called out after him. Elijah stopped on his tracks but didn't turn and face her. "When I went over there, I realized that he was no longer the man I was in love with. I told him to never call or contact me again. It wasn't fair to him, Katherine, you, or me especially you. I never wanted to hurt you. When you asked me to be in this relationship, I didn't put everything in on the table, but now, I'm all in. I'm in this Elijah. I didn't think I was ready before, but now I think I am. In fact, I know I am," she said confidently. She loved Elijah not in the same way she loved Damon, but it was almost better that she didn't feel the same way. Loving Damon the way she did ended up hurting her in the end more than it did her good.

Elijah hesitated. He wanted to sweep Elena up in his arms and never left her go again, but he also knew Elena. She could possibly only telling him what he wanted to hear in order to not hurt him, but hell he wanted her. He ignored his feelings of doubt and took Elena in his arms and kissed her. He wanted her to feel the same passion and intensity he felt. He pulled away from her with only their foreheads touching. "Were you serious about being all in?" he asked her one more time.

Elena nodded in confirmation. Elijah looked at her carefully. He could always read Elena's face through her eyes, and right now there was nothing in her eyes that showed any uncertainty. He took a deep breath and pulled out the box that he had in his hands earlier and then got down on one knee. He opened the ring box to reveal a beautiful, sparkling diamond engagement ring. He removed the ring from the box and held it up to Elena. Taking her hand, Elijah looked up at Elena. "Elena Gilbert, will you marry me?" he asked her looking deeply into her eyes.

**AN:So if you've read my other story The Curse, you might be able to tell that I like to ship Elena/Elijah when Delena isn't convenient. Unless I change the character listing, it will be Delena. What do you think? The end of Katherine/Damon officially and the end of Delena for now. I still have some Delena moments ahead though so never fear my devoted readers. Anyway wrapping things up now, let me know what you think through reviews. Also thank you to those who actually read all my author notes. You never know that kind of spoilers I might leave in them. Also I posted a poll regarding Elena's situation. Don't forget to vote otherwise I'll have to pick and some people may not like the results. Vote and review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: No your eyes are not deceiving you. This is an update. I know it's been forever, but my inspiration for this and The Curse has been so lacking. I'm not really sure where I want either to go right now other than a vague endgame, so I'm open to your thoughts. Enjoy. :)**

"Elena Gilbert, will you marry me?" he asked her looking deeply into her eyes.

Elena looked at the man kneeling in front of her. She was speechless. The ring was one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry she had ever seen, although in her head she couldn't help but compare it to her previous ring, but that made no affect on her decision. She looked into the eyes of the man that she knew she could love with her whole heart and gave him the answer he deserved.

"No," she whispered. "I love you Elijah; know that I do, but I can't do this to you," she cried with tears streaming down her face. "Because the truth is I gave my heart away to someone a long time ago, and even though I desperately want it back, I don't think that I ever will. I can't marry you knowing that I would never be able to love you the way you deserve," Elena sobbed. She thought she had meant what she said about being fully invested into their relationship, but when Elijah proposed she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't commit to a man who deserved something more than the shattered remains of her heart.

Elijah nodded and stood. He tucked the ring back in its box and slipped it into his pocket again. He knew it was a long shot of her saying yes. She was never meant to be his. "I understand Elena," he whispered wiping away a few of her tears. This made Elena sob even harder. She just rejected him, but he was still being so kind to her. "Goodbye Elena," he said giving her one last look before leaving her room.

Once he was gone, Elena managed to get to the bed before being fully consumed with despair and continued crying until the tears finally stopped. She sat up wiping away the remained of her tears and looked at the clock. She had 20 minutes until her train left. If she hurried, she could still make it. She slid off the bed and grabbed her suitcase haphazardly throwing things in it. Once she was sure she had everything, Elena grabbed her jacket and bags and walked out of the door. She checked out of the hotel and hailed a taxi to drive her to Grand Central.

When she got to the station, she knew what she needed to do when she got back to Mystic Falls. She caught the train minutes before it left the station, and since there weren't many people going to Virginia, the train had plenty of open seats.

During the ride Elena began making arrangements for her book tour. It was her first one for all of her books since Elena wanted to keep writing under her pen name for as long as possible. She wasn't sure who was going to go with her on the book tour considering Elijah would probably never want to see her again. She let out a sigh. Even though she would miss Elijah's company, it would be selfish of her to expect Elijah would even want to see her let alone spend an entire tour with her.

Eventually the train arrived at the Mystic Falls station and Elena gathered her things to get off the train. Caroline was anxiously waiting for her at the station. The moment she saw her she threw her arms around her friend and squeezed tight.

"Are you okay?" she asked when she finally let go.

Elena nodded tiredly. She was so emotionally exhausted from the past few days. "I just need to rest. Tomorrow I have to go talk to Klaus about my book tour."

Caroline nodded understandingly. She knew she would get the full story eventually and didn't want to press any further. "Let's get you home then. We can talk in the morning," she said as she led her to her car. Caroline didn't want to leave Elena alone for the night, but she knew that her friend wasn't ready to talk about anything yet, so she drove them silently to Elena's house and dropped her off promising she would meet her for lunch the next day.

Elena slowly trudged up the stairs to her bedroom after closing the door and setting her things down. She knew she should unpack but didn't feel like doing anything after the long, emotional day she had. She changed into her most comfortable pajamas and crawled into her bed falling into a deep slumber that provided her a much-needed break from reality.

"_Elena," a voice whispered in her ear. Elena smiled in her sleep and opened her eyes to find Elijah looking at her. "Come with me," he smiled and beckoned her closer. Confused but curious Elena followed him. She noticed they were on the beach just outside his beach house where they once had stayed for a weekend away. They walked on the beach for a while until they reached a door that had appeared in the middle of the beach._

"_Elijah? What?" she began to ask but Elijah hushed her and slowly turned the door open. She stepped past him and through the door to find was she standing outside of a church in Mystic Falls. She looked around when the people outside of it began clapping and cheering. She turned to find the church doors opening to reveal Damon and Katherine walking out looking like the perfect couple in love. Elena watched them heartbroken as a tear slid down her cheek. _

"_Don't you see Elena?" Elijah taunted her as he whispered in her ear. "He's not going to leave her. They're going to stay married and live happily ever after together in New York. You're going to be alone. I could have given you everything, but it still wasn't good enough for you was it? Maybe that's why Damon left? Because he knew everything he could give you would never be enough," he hissed cruelly. "You're too selfish to let anyone love you."_

_Elena continued to cry watching Damon and Katherine walking away from her. "Damon!" she called out after him. "I love him Elijah," she told him and continued to call Damon's name, but he continued to walk away from her despite her calls. "DAMON!" she cried out one final time before the darkness seemed to envelop her._

Elena shot up out of her bed breathing rapidly. She ran her fingers through her slightly matted, sweaty hair and flipped the covers off of her. She walked to the bathroom that she had previously shared with Jeremy as a child. She remembered the warmth being home once had, but things felt different now. She missed being around her family, but now she had no family to be with. She splashed some water on her face to cool herself down. She looked in the mirror disappointed with herself. She had tried so hard over the past few months to move on from Damon, but here she was still thinking about him.

Sighing Elena walked back to bed. She glanced at the clock and saw she had a meeting with Klaus in less than two hours. Knowing more sleep was not an option Elena decided to get ready for her meeting. She took her time taking a shower hoping that the water would wash away her stress. Once out, Elena slipped into a black bra and underwear set and then put on an orange and white flowered sundress. She carefully applied enough make up to hide the bags under her eyes and give her a natural look. Grabbing orange strappy heels, a matching handbag, and trench coat, Elena strolled down the stairs. She fixed herself a cup of coffee and toast. She could barely bring herself to keep the toast down, but she managed. Elena grabbed her cell and keys from her travel bag and transferred it to her handbag. Once done with her coffee, Elena rinsed out her cup and grabbed her bag and left the house.

Taking a deep breath Elena prepared herself as she pushed open the door to Klaus' office. "Hello Klaus," she said smiling tightly.

Klaus looked up from his desk and smiled at her. "Hello Elena. Please, sit," he gestured and straightened a few papers on his desk.

Elena took off her coat and sat down in the black leather chair in front of his desk. "I spoke to the people on the board of the charity. They were very enthusiastic of my offer to donate proceeds from my next book," Elena began hoping they would avoid discussion of Elijah.

Klaus nodded. "I knew they would be. My brother Kol is on the board. I had him sway them before I sent you and Elijah up there. Speaking of him, where is he? I was expecting him to come back with you, but here you sit without him," Klaus sat back folding his hands on his lap waiting for her answer.

Elena bit her lip. "I'm not sure why he hasn't returned. Our business in New York is done," she answered not wanting to tell him everything.

Klaus nodded. "Well then, as long as everything goes along on schedule, I have no complaints or worries. I'll be checking in with Elijah to make sure everything is happening accordingly. I trust you have no complaints toward my brother."

Elena shook her head no. "Elijah's been nothing but good to me. I really appreciate everything that he's done." She stood and gathered her things. "I'll see you around Klaus," she smiled and turned to the door.

"Oh Elena," he called out after her as she reached the door. "I'm sorry to hear that I won't have the pleasure of calling you my new sister," he smirked and turned back to his computer.

Elena's jaw dropped, and her cheeks flushed with red. She couldn't bring herself to say anything in return and just continued out the door. She headed to her car snapping herself out of her daze. When she reached her car however, she stopped short when she noticed a black SUV trailing her. She turned around and the door of the car swung open, and a man stepped out. Before Elena could react though, the man grabbed her arm and shoved her inside the car.

Trying to overcome her shock and catch her breath, Elena struggled to sit up. Once she righted herself, she noticed who was sitting across from her. "Katherine," she breathed.

Katherine smiled coldly. "Hello Elena, I think it's time to talk girl on girl."

Elena crinkled her eyebrows and straightened the skirt of her dress. "What are you talking about?"

"I did some digging into Damon's background," she answered glancing down at the open folder resting on her lap. I know all about your marriage to Damon, and your pathetic attempts to keep Damon in your clutches. I see you finally got smart after his last visit here and gave him the divorce you both needed. I do not however think that is was very smart of you to come into MY town, into MY life, and mess up MY relationship with him," she sneered.

Elena scoffed and crossed her arms defiantly. "I don't know what you think you know, but I know that you know nothing about my relationship with Damon. As for messing up yours, I'm pretty sure that if something has happened to screw it up, that's all your doing not mine."

Katherine narrowed her eyes at her. Perhaps she had underestimated this small town girl. No matter. She was Katherine Pierce, and she always got what she wanted. She would just have to try a different approach to get things done.

"Listen up Elena. I don't care about your past with Damon. I care about your future, and what I want is for you to not have one. I know that Damon is bound to show up here in a few days begging you to take him back or some how prove that he's changed and wants to start over with you. When he does this though, I want you to say no and send him packing."

"And why would I do that?" Elena wasn't even sure that she would be interested in getting back together after all the pain he had caused after all these years. She didn't know what would make Katherine think Damon would come back here though. She knew that she definitely did not like the slow smile creeping up on Katherine's face.

"Because Elena I happen to hold some very important cards in my hand including Damon's father and your boss Klaus who is very influential in several publishing companies all over the world in fact and can have you black-balled from getting published ever again. I doubt Elijah would be willing to step in considering how you just rejected him." Katherine smirked noticing the way Elena froze at the mention of Elijah's name. " What about your poor Aunt Jenna who just put a second mortgage on her house that she shares with her high school teacher husband and has school loans piling up about a mile high? I would hate to see the bank repossess their home because they suddenly find her to be too unreliable to pay her off all her debts. Are you sure being with Damon would be worth it if you both lost the most important things in both your lives? Can you live with yourself knowing that your own selfish desires will ruin everyone's lives around you?" Katherine asked coldly. She had connections that could flip Elena's world upside down with the snap of her fingers. She knew someone as noble as Elena would sacrifice her own happiness to protect the ones she loved. "Stay away from Damon, and your friends and family will continue happily with their lives as they know it. If not, well…" she trailed off knowingly.

Elena listened to Katherine rattle off the various ways she could ruin the rest of her family and friends' lives. She couldn't take the risk. Damon wasn't worth it. Slightly shaking Elena nodded. "Fine. I'll do it. I'll say whatever it takes to keep him out of my life. I don't know if that means he'll go to back to you, but I'll stay away from him. Just don't do anything to my family and friends," she pleaded trying to keep her voice from wavering.

Katherine simply smiled. "I'll be watching Elena, both of you, so don't even try and think about warning him. Keep your word, and I'll keep mine." Elena nodded and tried to stay calm. Katherine tapped on the window, and the door opened with a hand stretched out for Elena to take. "See you soon Elena," Katherine smiled before disappearing back into the depths of the car.

Elena stood there as the car drove off with one of the most threatening women she had ever met. Katherine's threatening words echoed in her ears. She had to keep her family safe. They were all she had left.

Meanwhile in the SUV, Katherine scrolled through her contacts until she found who she was looking for. "Rebekah darling, I have a favor to ask of you. You remember Damon don't you?" she asked with a devious smile forming across her face. Elena wouldn't be expecting this curveball.

Damon walked into the senior partner's office. He received a message on his desk from his secretary that morning that Mikael Mikaelson wanted to see him. "Hello Mr. Mikaelson," Damon greeted cordially. He knew that he was very good friends with Katherine's father. He must know that he called off the wedding.

Mikael looked up from his paperwork as Damon entered. "Hello Damon. Come, please sit," he said gesturing to one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. "I was just looking over some junior cases to make sure things were being dealt with properly." Unlike some of the other senior partners, Mikael chose to remain very hands on at the firm in order to maintain a tight control of things. "I called you in here today to say that I've been watching you for some time now and think that you are exactly the kind of person that we would want to bring on as a partner once you've done your time if you're interested of course."

Damon raised his eyebrows in surprise. He never thought Mikael liked or paid any attention to him. "Thank you sir. I would be very interested in exploring my career here should to opportunity present itself."

Mikael sat back in his chair appraising Damon. "Good. You know as my children have all chosen to explore alternative fields of work with Elijah and Niklaus in publishing and Rebecca in modeling while Finn and Kol are both some of the countries finest doctors, I have no one to pass my portion of the practice to. I'm getting old Damon," he said bluntly. "Don't disappoint me. One day, all of this," he said looking around the office "could be yours."

Damon forced himself to smile and nod. "Thank you sir," he said standing up. He was not expecting this at all and couldn't help but think it was all a little suspicious. He walked out of the office and checked his phone for messages. He had been getting calls from Katherine all weekend, but for some reason today he had received none. Telling himself that it was probably because she wasn't even awake yet, he began looking through his schedule to clear it. He didn't care what Mikael thought about him; he needed to talk to Elena. He had gone to her hotel, but they told him she had already checked out. He knew she must be back in Mystic Falls by now. He tried calling Stefan, but his brother hadn't been picking up the phone the past couple of times he tried.

He took the elevator back downstairs to his office. "Claire, let all of my clients know that I'll be out of town for the next few days. If they need to contact me then they can call me," he said as he began packing up a few files and his laptop.

Claire nodded and jotted down a quick note. "Of course Mr. Salvatore. I'll forward messages to your cell and cancel any meetings."

Damon shoved the last of his files and his power cord into his briefcase. "Thanks Claire. I'll see you in a few days." He grabbed his bag and left. Once outside he got into his town car and told his driver to take him to Grand Central.

A few hours later Damon stepped off the train and onto the Mystic Falls platform. He had yet to receive any calls from Katherine, and Stefan hadn't returned any of his calls either. Damon got into his rental BMW and floored it to get to the boarding house. Stefan wasn't going to be able to avoid him forever.

Damon threw the car in park and got out. Seeing Stefan's car in the driveway told him that his baby bro was home. He entered the house without knocking or ringing the bell. "Stefan!" he bellowed into the foyer. "Where are you?" He heard a few footsteps and turned to see Stefan come out of his office and Caroline heading downstairs.

"Damon? What are you doing here?" Stefan asked with a confused looked. He glanced at Caroline who looked greatly displeased.

"I called you several times this past weekend," he stated simply rather than answer the question.

Stefan nodded. "I know. I've been busy. I was going to return your call. I just got off the phone with your secretary. She said that you had gone out of town."

Damon let out a breath. So maybe Stefan wasn't trying to be a dick and ignore him. "I need a drink," he sighed.

Caroline huffed and followed him and Stefan into the parlor. "Damon, not that you aren't welcome since it was at one point part of your property, but what are you doing here? You can't just keep showing up here whenever you feel like it. Some of us haven't recovered from the last time you showed up unannounced." She glanced at Stefan warningly. After her lunch with Elena, Caroline shared her worries with Stefan about the damage she thought being around Damon was bringing to Elena. She didn't want him to mention her around Damon if they could avoid it.

"I broke off my engagement with Katherine," he answered after a long sip of scotch. "I caught her cheating on me," he elaborated and then finished his drink.

Caroline cocked an eyebrow but kept her mouth shut. Stefan on the other hand had many questions. "What? How did she take it? Are you planning on staying here for a while then?"

"Chill bro. I'm not sure how long I'm here for, but I know I want to talk to Elena before I leave. As for how she took it? Well, she's not exactly the best when it comes to not getting her way," he scoffed. Selfish, lying bitch he thought.

"I'm not sure if seeing Elena is the best thing to do right now," Caroline began. "I just saw her a few hours ago, and she was very tired. At least wait until tomorrow," she suggested.

Damon smirked at her. "Don't worry Barbie, I'm not going to pounce on her. I'm beat. Night kiddy-kidos. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he said waggling his eyebrows and taking the bottle of scotch and his glass with him to his room. He knew that he was in no shape to face Elena. He would have to wait until the next morning like Caroline said.

Caroline glared in Damon's direction. She hated it when he undermined her relationship with Stefan. "I don't like this Stefan. I don't like this at all."

Stefan sighed and took her into his arms. "I know, but for now I don't know what else to do other than let things play out." He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. Caroline took in the comforting scent of her husband and nodded. She didn't know what Damon was actually in town for, but if he was just going to play games with Elena's heart again, she wasn't going to stand by and let him.

**AN: I'm not even going to ask for reviews since I finished this purely for those who already have. You guys are awesome. Any questions or comments will be responded to if you want to PM me. Ok, I'm off to go start the next chapter. Wish me luck that it won't take nearly as long. I don't think it will honestly. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: So I've had most of this written for a while, but I'm still not sure where I'm going with this, but I thought I'd let you guys read it finally. I know I've been horrible about updating.**

**Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries isn't mine.**

Elena shut her computer that was resting on her lap and leaned back and closed her eyes. She had been working through the latest revisions her temporary editor sent her. She thought about how she missed working with Elijah. How could she be so stupid to get involved with him in the first place? This new editor was giving her revision hell, no doubt direct orders from Klaus via Katherine just to prove to her how easy it was to mess with her life. She didn't know how she was going to deal with Katherine. Denying Damon was one thing, but keeping him out of her life was another. She laughed to herself at the irony of her situation. Only a few months ago Damon was willingly to do anything to get out of her life, and now his ex-fiancé was threatening her to keep him out because he wanted to be back in her life.

Elena placed her laptop on the coffee table in front of her and got up and stretched. She walked to her kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. As the water was boiling though her phone rang distracting her from her tea and thoughts. Seeing it was Caroline Elena answered it quickly.

"Hey Care, what's up?" Elena sighed. She waited and crinkled her eyebrows when she was uncharacteristically quiet.

Caroline let out a breath. "Hey Elena, I'm not really sure how to tell you this, but you need to know.

Elena moved around her kitchen turning off the stove and poured the hot water of a tea bag. "What is it?" she asked starting to worry.

"Damon showed up at our house today. He said that he broke things off with Katherine, and I think he's planning on staying in town for a while. I just thought I should warn you," Caroline explained worriedly.

Elena sighed. She wasn't prepared to deal with him yet. "Thanks for letting me know."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm not really sure yet. I don't think that I'm ready to deal with him right now," she confessed honestly thinking back to her deal with Katherine. Sure she didn't want to get hurt by Damon again, but she wasn't thrilled about hurting him. She sat down and stirred her tea.

"Be careful Elena. I know you; you're going to want to let him in again, but try and not get hurt this time. I don't want you to get hurt again especially by Damon."

Elena nodded even though she knew Caroline couldn't see her. Caroline was right though. She needed to stay away from Damon not just because Katherine was threatening her, but also because he wasn't good for her emotionally at least not at the moment. "You're right Caroline. I have other things I need focus on right now anyway. Thanks for calling me and letting me know though."

"Of course Elena. I'm here if you need me. Talk to you later."

Elena hung up and set her phone down on the table next to her mug. She loved Damon still, but she wasn't ready to let him in her heart again after what happened last time. She didn't care if Katherine and he had broken things off. She was going to stay away for her safety and her family and friends'. She looked down at her left ring finger where her rings used to be. It had taken her almost two years before she could take them off even though when she looked at them they just reminded her of broken promises and heartache. She traced where the ring would have sat if it had still been on her hand. She had never thought she would part with them when Damon had slid on her wedding ring. She sighed and picked up her mug once more and took a hearty sip of her tea letting it calm her nerves. She had taken to drinking more and more tea after Damon had left her as a way to calm herself down. She didn't trust herself to take anything stronger. Her eyes darkened with pain when she remembered that horrible time of her life.

After Damon's departure Elena had been an emotional wreck, but after Miranda and Grayson died Elena became practically catatonic. Her will to live had been shot to hell in the course of a few months. Jenna had been forced to have her hospitalized when it became clear Elena wasn't going to get better without treatment. Neither Jenna nor Jeremy wanted to take such drastic measures, but they had been left with no choice after Elena had tried to take her life. After a year of treatment and intensive therapy, Elena was released under the condition she live with Jenna until her psychiatrist approved of Elena living alone. It was shortly after when Elena started writing to express her pain in a healthy way as a suggestion from her therapist. She had channeled all of her anger, hurt, regret, and pain into her writing, and it had paid off until now. Now her publisher and Damon's psychotic fiancé were threatening her to stay away from Damon. She laughed at the irony that her one way of the releasing pain (through her writing) caused by Damon was now being infringed on because of Damon. She sighed at the drama going on in her life due to that man. She should have known better than to think Damon wouldn't still consume her life even after they divorced.

Shaking her head she remembered the happier times of their relationship as she sipped the remaining liquid in her mug.

"_Damon! Stop!" she squealed as she tried unsuccessfully to dodge Damon's fingers as he unmercifully tickled her. _

"_Say it!" he smiled not stopping his attack. "Come on. I know you want to. Say 'Damon is the sexiest of them all'."_

_Elena giggled at his childish antics. "I love you," she blurted out. "I do. I love you," she repeated biting her lip waiting for his reaction._

_Damon abruptly stopped and looked into her big, warm brown eyes that sparkled with joy. He hadn't been expecting that. He cupped her cheek and brushed a few hairs away from her forehead. "I love you too," he grinned and placed a soft kiss on her lips. A few seconds later though he broke the kiss and continued to tickle her. "You still didn't say it though," he reminded her in between peals of her laughter._

Elena washed out her mug and put it in the dishwasher. She didn't know how she was going to face Damon. Even after everything that happened between them she knew it would only be a matter of time before her old feelings came rushing back not that they were that far under the surface in the first place. That is also assuming that Damon would want to be around her, though, from Caroline's warning it seemed Damon would be over the following morning. For now though she needed to sleep and forget Damon for at least 8 hours. The bags under her eyes should have had Tumi stamped on them. She flipped off the light in the kitchen and headed up to her bedroom.

She changed into sleep shorts and a tank top and crawled into bed snuggling into her comforter. As she lay there though, her thoughts kept drifting preventing her from falling asleep quickly. Elena sighed as she remembered her medicine cabinet didn't contain anything stronger than baby aspirin ever since her incident. The herbal tea didn't seem to have its usual effect either, as she tossed and turned with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. After a while she finally fell into a restless sleep just a few hours before dawn.

Damon groaned as he came into consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked for what caused him to come out of his peaceful sleep. His eyes landed on his phone that refused to stop ringing. His hand reached out and finally answered it.

"Hello," he greeted not bothering to check the caller, which he came to regret once the person on the other side spoke.

"Damon. Finally, I've been calling you for the past two hours," Katherine said in an annoyed tone. "We need to speak in person like the adults we are instead of avoiding each other like pathetic teenagers," she drawled. She couldn't believe Damon was going to be so touchy about this. People cheated all the time, but then they moved on with their lives. She rolled her eyes that Damon was choosing now of all times to develop morals.

Damon sat up and rolled his eyes. He rubbed his face with his hand and sighed. "Maybe if you hadn't cheated on me like a pathetic teenager, we wouldn't be in this situation," he scoffed.

"We need to talk about this in person. Where are you? Are you at the penthouse? I'll just meet you there," she suggested instead of revealing she knew he was in Mystic Falls. She just hoped that he wasn't with that wench Elena already.

"No Katherine. I'm in Mystic Falls right now, and I'm not sure when I'll be back in the city. Just accept that we're over. No amount of talking is going to change that. Now, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate if you would stop calling me and leave me alone for oh say the rest of my life. Thanks," he snapped and hung up. Damon tossed the phone on the other side of his bed and got out to take a shower.

After stripping out of his boxers, Damon stepped under the hot stream of water hoping that it would relax him before he went and spoke to Elena. They still had a lot to hash out, and Damon wasn't so sure that Elena would want to talk to him based on the last time they spoke. He knew kissing her hadn't been the best idea but seeing her fired up with passion flaring in her eyes had reminded him of their love from their youth. What they used to have all came rushing back to him when he kissed her. It didn't help that Elena would probably know he was in town already knowing Caroline and her big mouth. What exactly his brother saw in her he would never know, but he wasn't one to judge on taste in woman. He was the one who had been engaged to Katherine Pierce up until a few days ago.

He got out of the shower and toweled himself off. He walked back into his room and chose a pair of dark washed jeans and a dark grey shirt switching it up from his usual black. Once dressed Damon walked down stairs whistling a jaunty tune as he made his way to the kitchen. Stefan and Caroline who were eating their breakfast in a comfortable silence looked up at Damon and gave each other questioning looks as he entered.

"Hello brother. Barbie," Damon greeted as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Stefan raised an eyebrow but greeted him back while Caroline glared and continued eating. "How'd you sleep?" he asked knowing that Damon tended to lose himself when he drank. He hadn't expected to see Damon showered, dressed, and sober before he left for work.

Damon shrugged as he chomped on a piece of bacon. "Okay until Katherine called me this morning."

"I would have thought you would have changed your number by now. I mean the last time you left a girl you didn't contact her until your anniversary when you sent signed divorce papers," Caroline sneered as she moved the plate of bacon away from Damon. Breakfast was for people who weren't alcoholic lawyers who ran away from their problems.

Damon set down his cup and stared at Caroline icily who glared right back. Stefan's eyes went wide.

"Maybe this isn't the best time to bring this up," Stefan suggested trying to neutralize the situation before it escalated and blew up in their faces.

Damon narrowed his eyes and moved to the other side of the island where they were. "No, Stefan. It sounds like Blondie has a bone to pick with me. Let's see if her bite matches her bark," he suggested in a cold voice.

Caroline walked right up to Damon completely ignoring Stefan's comment. She wasn't about to back down now. "You're right. I do have a 'bone to pick' with you. I hate how you just keep waltzing into our lives not giving a care in the world how it affects us. Forget about my own hatred for you, but look at the way it hurts Elena, your ex-wife or Stefan, your brother. Face it Damon. You're still the scared little boy who ran away seven years ago, and you're making it your goal to bring down everyone else with you," she castigated him and crossed her arms.

Damon clenched his jaw in frustration. On some level Caroline was right. He had run away all those years ago, and now he was waltzing back into their lives like he had the right to be there. "I admit that I did leave without having all the facts, and I can't tell you how much I regret that. I'm trying to make up for that now though."

Caroline scoffed. "Don't you get it though? You can't make up for it! You have to move on, so the rest of us can as well."

"We're supposed to be together! I know that now. I thought I knew it back then, but now I know for sure that we are," Damon argued.

"You don't know that. You don't know how bad it was," Caroline shook her head as her voice began to quiver from hysteria. "If you're serious about being in her life again then stop acting like a child. Respect what she wants and stop doing anything you want without thinking about anyone else," Caroline suggested bringing her voice back to normal after taking a breath.

Damon scrunched his eyebrows together. "How bad was it?" he asked quietly looking down. He knew that he had been acting as if nothing had ever happened, but clearly that wasn't the case. First Jeremy mentioned it and now Caroline. Something bad went down when he was away, and he had a feeling that it wasn't just Miranda and Grayson's deaths.

"It's not my place to tell you everything Damon. You're going to have to go to Elena for that. It's up to her if she wants you to know," Caroline answered although she had previously talked to Elena about this before, and Elena had been dead set on Damon never finding out. These days though life was throwing more curve balls than Caroline could count. Who knew what would come next. Caroline sighed and gathered up the plates hoping that for Elena's sake she learned how to bat since the last time Damon shattered her heart.

Elena finally woke up groggy but knowing she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep she decided to start her day. After a brief shower and a quick breakfast, Elena decided to pack up her computer and go to the cemetery. She hadn't visited her parents for a few weeks, and the closeness to her parents could comfort her as she wrote.

When she arrived at the cemetery, Elena quickly found her parents' graves and told them about Damon's return.

"I'm not sure what to do about Damon and Katherine. It would be so much easier to cut Damon out of my life, but he's always been the love of my life. He's hurt me so much, and I don't know how to let him go. I've tried moving on, but maybe it's time for me to just let go of love all together. Clearly it's not working so well for me," Elena scoffed bitterly at the end. As she wiped away a few of her tears, she heard someone clear their throat from behind her. She whipped her head around and spotted Damon with a bouquet of flowers. Her eyes widened in shock and fear. How much had he heard? "What are doing here?" she asked as she stood and dusted herself off.

Damon took a step closer and laid the flowers down in front of Miranda and Grayson Gilbert's tombstone. "I thought it was about time for me to pay my respects. You know as much as I do that they were more of my family than my own parents."

Elena glared. She couldn't deal with his remorse any more. She wasn't going to let him into her life just because he felt guilty. "I meant more what are you doing here in Mystic Falls? Why come back now?" she spat angrily.

Damon was a bit taken back, but he understood after talking to Caroline that morning that Elena would not want to see him again especially after New York. "I know I've done a lot of things in my life that I regret and most of them have hurt you, but I think it's time I start fixing that."

Elena glared at him. "Oh big deal, you regret things. So this is just about easing your guilt?" she cried in frustration. "I regret a lot of things too, but I thought we resolved this the last time you came into town. We have to go our separate ways Damon!"

Damon let out a sigh of frustration. "And how exactly can we do that? You're best friend is my sister-in-law. You're friends with my brother. We're bound to see each other even if we're not friends," Damon retorted.

"Why don't you just go back to New York? It's not like you visit Stefan all that often anyway considering you couldn't have even make it down for his wedding!" Elena exclaimed.

"That's not fair Elena," Damon responded looking down.

Elena marched up to him eyes blazing. "No, you know what's not fair? Seeing all my friends and family happily in love and married while I'm still the same broken girl they all feel sorry for because they know just as well as I did that I can't move on. You broke me, and you can't just fix it by saying you're sorry," Elena remarked. "You had years to reform, grow up, and get over things without everyone looking over your shoulder. You got to do it without your world falling apart around you when your parents died. Now that I finally feel like I can breathe again, you come back and suddenly it's like I'm drowning all over again."

Damon couldn't bear to see Elena like this. He knew she was hurting, and he couldn't believe that once again it was all because of him. He just had to know though everything before he could leave. "What happened Elena? What happened after I left?" he whispered.

Elena gasped at his audacity. She didn't feel comfortable bringing up those memories again, but she knew that telling him might get rid of him, which she still wasn't sure if that's what she actually wanted. "It was painful to say the least," she began and turned away from him. "After my parents died, it was really difficult to get out of bed in the morning. I cried for weeks until Caroline and Jenna thought I would dehydrate myself. I barely ate or talked. I never wanted to leave the house. They made me see a doctor for my depression but that didn't help. Eventually they admitted me to the hospital after I…" she trailed off.

"After what? Please just tell me Elena," Damon pleaded and took a step closer. When she didn't move away from him he grabbed one of her hands in his.

Elena looked down at their joint hands before starting again. "I had leftover pain killers from the accident, and I was on antidepressants at the time. So one day when Jeremy and Jenna were both out I took the rest of my painkillers, which reacted badly with the other medication. When I woke up a few days later Jenna had signed the paperwork to commit me so that I could get better. It took some time, but I tried to get better. I really did, and now I just need you to stay away from me," she finished looking back up at him. She used to love staring into his eyes. At one time in her life she believed that she could stare into his eyes and shut the rest of the world out. It was just them against the world but not anymore.

Damon clutched her hand tightly in his but nodded. Caroline was right. He needed to stop hurting those around him and think about what was best for them for once. "I understand. Goodbye Elena," Damon whispered and leaned to give her a kiss on the cheek. He squeezed her hand one last time before walking away leaving Elena with her parents.

Once she was sure he was gone, Elena sunk to her knees in front of her parents' graves with tears streaming down her face. She had done it despite the emotional toll. He was gone from her life, and hopefully for her friends and family's sake he would stay away.

**AN: So… let me know what you think. I'm pretty open to any suggestions since I literally have no future plans for this story. Hope you enjoyed it. **


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